The Enchanter and The Lion

Chapter 38 - The Plains and The Graves

Hawke and Fenris departed the following day with Ser Barris and the Templars escorting the Warden mages north to Weisshaupt. Rylen and most of his company returned to Griffon Wing Keep with the wounded from Adamant to maintain the Inquisition's presence in the region. The rest of them started making the return journey to Skyhold.

Maeve rode next to Cullen at the head of the column. She had woken up with his arms around her this morning and had been largely speechless since. The images from the Nightmare still haunted her, but she had made her choice...and he his. That he wanted to stand by her, that he had made that choice, was what overwhelmed her. Maker, she loved him so much, but... 

"I know something's still bothering you, Maeve," he broke the silence once he judged they were far enough ahead of everyone to be out of ear shot. "Please talk to me."

She closed her eyes and took a steadying breath before meeting his gaze. "In the Fade, the Nightmare demon got in my head," she began, "Showed me things. Possibilities borne of my worst fears...me becoming an abomination."

She saw worry cross his eyes, but he remained silent, waiting for her to finish.

"If I am possessed, Cullen, you have to promise me...."

"Don't," he interrupted her, anguish in his eyes, "please don't ask me that."

She guided Kizi closer to his horse and took his hand in hers. "You know I won't be me anymore if that happens. The person you care about, the person that cares about you will already be gone. Please, Cullen, promise me you won't hesitate. Promise me you'll kill me."

He flinched at the words, but held her gaze and swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I promise."

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Three days later they met up with the Imperial highway and a waiting messenger from Josephine telling them that hostilities in the Exalted Plains had finally halted between the Empress and her cousin pending the scheduled peace talks, which were still eight weeks away. Normally this should have made their travel to Skyhold easier as they could take a more direct easterly route through the Plains rather than diverting north around the Waking Sea to Val Royeaux as they had when making their way out to the Approach. However, Josephine's message was a warning not to do that, as all contact had been lost with both armies for unknown reasons.

It was decided that it was too risky to march their forces through an area with an unknown threat. Instead, Maeve would take a small party and continue on in that direction to investigate while Cullen and the bulk of their forces followed the highway north and took the original path they had used.

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Leliana had sent Scout Harding ahead of them even before Josephine's message, so it was no surprise to Maeve when the dwarven woman greeted them in the Plains. It turns out the situation in the area was far worse than Josephine warned them of. Undead had taken over the area, driving both sides of the Orlesian armies back to their forts to hunker down. To add to the chaos, a rebel group, The Freemen of the Dales, had split off from the armies and was antagonizing both sides. Not to mention the rifts and associated demons riddling the area. 

Given the lateness of the hour and everyone's exhaustion, Maeve ordered them to make camp for the night and they'd deal with the undead in the morning.    

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They approached the first set of ramparts in the west on the following day and found some of Gaspard's men making a desperate stand against the undead swarming them. Bull roared and charged in, Varric peppered them with arrows, while she, Solas and Dorian unleashed lightning, ice, and fire respectively.